Prince of Darkness
by AkumaKami64
Summary: There was only so much he could take. Minnie's memories chewing at his mind, the Nergal clawing for control, Mandy's coldness, Grim's frequent absence, Mimi's violent distrust, and his own guilt over too many things…each was a crack in Little Boy Death. Now, Minnie's betrayal might have shattered him...and sent him into Evil's welcoming arms. Diverges at "It's a good day to die"
1. Chapter 1

Prince of Darkness

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

Summary: There was only so much he could take. Minnie's memories chewing at his mind, the Nergal clawing for control, Mandy's coldness, Grim's frequent absence, Mimi's violent distrust, and his own guilt over too many things…each was a crack in little boy death. Now, Minnie's betrayal might have shattered him...and sent him into Evil's welcoming arms. Diverges at "It's a good day to die"

**coldblue**\- I know you're probably going to read this, so I'd like to correct a misunderstanding we had- Slave to the True Death is NOT a GT/CG Xover, or I don't plan of it being one at least. When I said I've expanded into Code Geass, I meant I made a Code Geass fic called Nunnally of the Reboot: Angel of Zero. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thought**_

Nergal-Beasts don't have names. They had no need for one. For all Nergal-beasts eventually fuse with their host's mind. This is true even if the host is not the original host. It just usually takes a long while in either case, more so if it's not the original. That's why everyone with Nergal powers, if they weren't full blooded, were half Nergal- no matter how far descendent from the original Nergal they were. However, in the case of a second host, the Nergal-beast is often given a nickname by its new host as they were not born with Nergal blood and therefore not use to having a symbiote, usually.

In the case of Minnie's former Nergal-beast, it was dubbed Gal by Grim Junior. Yeah, not original or clever, but it would do. It had been less than a month since the 'Halloween Town' episode and Gal's mind was still very independent of Junior's- though, he did gain some of his boyish attitude already. However, Gal was worried, scared even. Not for itself, but for his master- though, that was almost the same thing. There was something wrong with Junior. It never said anything. It didn't know what to say.

The only thing it could think on the subject was _**impressive**_. Why? Because Junior had acted like nothing was wrong and no one was the wiser. Most would think the issue was insignificant if a boy like him could hide it so well, but they'd be wrong. The best way Gal had to describe it? Junior was breaking. His mind was breaking.

Minnie's death had been the first blow. Then her memories bombarded and eroded him. Then...well, Gal was ashamed to admit it now, but the third blow was because of Gal's berserking as the Reaper-beast and nibbling on Junior's soul. The fourth blow had been the whole thing with HIM and Mimi in the Land of Tainted Souls. Actually, that was two blows. One for Minnie trying to kill him and another for HIM forcing Junior to acknowledge Minnie's lust for him. The final blow from that night had been the aftermath. Looking at the destruction of the town and realizing that it was, technically, his fault. Not to mention that Gal as the Reaper-Beast almost killed and ate the entire Grim Family.

Gal had tried to take over a few times after that, but lost the drive to do so with every failed attempt. It wasn't even that it was discouraged. It was the nightmares. Junior had them every night since that day. Everyone was the same yet they were all different. Junior would see flashes of people. Maybe his family, maybe not, neither of them could tell when they awoke. They heard screaming, but didn't know what they said. But Junior was always crying, silently when he woke up, and all he ever thought was _'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' _over and over again.

There was only one reason Junior was able to still keep it together. And that reason sickened Gal, personally. The mental avatar of Nergal Senior always ended up hugging his grandnephew until Junior had himself under control. It really seemed bad to Gal, and Nergal for that matter, that Junior wasn't willing to share this with his Mother or Father. Neither of which seemed to have suspected Junior might be having issues from that night. Nergal Senior gave his son a pass because he was oblivious to Minnie's crush on Junior still.

But Grim and Mandy? Nergal Senior just shook his head at the thought of those two. Mandy, he got. She was a bitch, simple as that, and "wouldn't have time for a crybaby's hurt feelings". Those were Junior words too, that was the sad part.

Nergal Senior summarized that Junior's nightmares were caused by his guilt over everything from the Halloween incident to his previous attitude towards Minnie, and fueled by all his other emotional wounds. His deep jealousy towards Minnie had been caused by a lack of self-esteem on Junior's part, caused by the absence of his parents- Mandy being busy with the empire and Grim with being death. And they really, really didn't know how to be parents when they had Junior. Mandy hardly wanted to be one at all in the beginning.

They cared, Nergal and Gal knew- Mandy would never hold a scared Junior if she didn't- but Junior hadn't seen that. All he saw growing up was how much more attention Minnie got from them, even if it was slight. And with Nergal Junior slipping more towards Minnie, Junior had begun to feel like no one cared about him anymore, and he didn't know why. So, he had to blame either himself or Minnie. He had originally chosen Minnie. Now he chose himself, with interest.

However, as Junior and Minnie started to grow closer and patch things up, the nightmares left. Nergal Senior had been very relieved at that. It was a sign that Junior could grow past this and become stronger for it. Then it all came crashing down when Mimi arrived.

It hadn't been that she attacked him or anything. Junior already figured out that Mimi was trying to save Jeff from something and would do anything to do it. It wasn't even that Mandy had slapped him. As stated, Mandy was a bitch, just a relatively...politer one to her kids. No, the real start of the internal disaster had been when Junior heard Mimi scream from her most feared memory, the look on her face as the Red demonic essence was ripped from her body, and how helpless she looked when she lied there unconscious and Mandy ordered her to be taken to the dungeon.

Her scream, her look...they were all a perfect description of how Junior had felt those first few mornings after the Halloween incident. And something inside of Junior snapped at that very moment. And it had terrified Gal on some level. It was something ancient and dark, an old instinct that screamed to the world 'You will not hurt her!' Gal said he had stuck out his neck for Junior when they stood up to Mandy. Really? He did it because he didn't want to know what would happen if he didn't, if he let Junior fight without his help. Because no matter who won, who walked away, it wouldn't be pretty.

Minnie turned cold after that. Junior had tried to talk to her a few times he saw her in the hallway, but the cold look on her face and nasty feeling she gave off always stopped him. She was mad, at him, for some reason. He wasn't a genius, but he knew that. He was amazed over her not hating him for getting her killed or losing her powers. The nightmares had come back after that, worse than before. He didn't know what to do after that except keep trying to get Mimi to eat so that he didn't lose his sister's friendship in vain.

Junior really was a great actor. He bottled up his jealousy for years. It showed, but not so much that it ruled him, that it consumed him. Now he was bottling up everything and pretending nothing was wrong. It wasn't healthy and it couldn't last. But it was impressive how good he was at it.

Then there was the last blow, the blow that completely cracked Junior's spirit, leaving it vulnerable to the point where one more sorrow would break him completely. It had taken Gal, Nergal and Mimi off all people to barely repair him enough to keep him from blowing up or crumbling apart...

**Flashback**

"That was TOO close!" Junior exclaimed with a sigh of relief, flapping his wings.

**"Easy Kid! First time flyers have a tendency to mis-flap and crash,"** The Nergal warned. Though he was helping Junior control the wings, of course, if the boy accidently willed one or both wings the wrong way at the wrong time, things would get bumpy.

"Yeah, thanks," Junior said, starting to enjoy the feeling of flying before remembering who was in his arms, "Let's get Mimi back...to...," Junior started, only to freeze.

**"Kid? Junior? Junior! Keep flapping, dammit!"** The Nergal ordered, feeling Junior's mind go into shock. With as much control as he had, he pointed Junior's flight path towards the bedroom balcony, **"What the fuck got into y-...," **The Nergal started to curse again, only to stop as he saw with one of his many eyes what Junior had seen. Minnie, with a bow and arrows, _**'...Fuck,'**_ The Nergal cursed, coming to the conclusion Junior had. He repeatedly cursed his old mistress and this damn devil-girl in his mind as he and Junior crashed with Mimi, right into the bedroom, _**'This family is fucking disintegrating!'**_

Mimi groaned as she awoke, the days of not eating taking a toll on her now-human body. She blinked groggily as she found herself back inside the castle, in Junior's room even. She rubbed her eyes with the stubs of her handless wrists, thinking her little walk outside towards 'Jeff' and a muffin was just a dream. She went wide eyed as she took in her surroundings better. The room was a little wrecked, actually. Not much, but a dresser was knocked over and the rug was messed up. She then realized she was sitting on a body. A body of bones; which also had a familiar tuff of brown hair on the skull...and a new pair of feathered wings, which might have caused most of the wreck. She immediately glared at him with a hiss but soon stopped with a surprised look.

Not only did Junior not react to her at all, but his eye sockets were leaking something, something black. Tentatively, she brought her nose to his bones and smelt it...ash? She blinked and tilted her head at him, wondering...Was this how reapers and skeletons cried? If so, why was Junior crying?

**"Not now girl,"** The Nergal said as a lone tentacle with an eye rose out of the body, before another tentacle joined it and lay on her shoulder like a hand. This caused her to stiffen defensively, ready to pounce and bite it, **"He needs some time right now," **He said with a sigh, seeing the question mark above the half-demon's head, **"You...wandered out over one of the castle's horns. He went to save you...you fell and he caught you. We had a line to pull us up, but...something cut it,"** He explained, pausing for a moment, **"He sprouted wings and caught you again...but when we were going up, he saw what cut it...his sister,"** Gal elaborated, his tentacle dripping sadly,** "Kid needs some time to process it," **the Nergal-Beast summarized as he gazed upon his host with a sigh. Mimi had the same blank-stare she usually had, but she wasn't biting or anything, so he took that as some form of sympathy. His current 'main' eye, the one he used for speaking face-to-relative-face with, blinked as he remembered something. One of his tentacles slithered out across the room and then came back, handing something to Mimi.

She went wide eyed at the given object. It was a muffin. True, it was a bit damaged from falling to the floor and the recent crash Junior had, but it was still mostly whole, **"Skull boy here thought it might be something you would eat,"** The tentacle explained as she stared at it with still-surprised eyes,** "Look, me and this boy risked our necks to keep you safe from the Bitch and HE just had a little mindfuck trying to save you from a business meeting with his old man. The least you can do is eat the damn treat, ya hellcat!" **The Nergal all but snapped at her. He chose not to mention that the boy had more than one mindfuck over the past week or two and that some of them were caused by Mimi's continued pressence in the castle.

Mimi glared at the talking appendage, snapping her chops. She barely missed it, but still glared. After a small starring contest, she gave a small sigh before eating the treat, angling herself on all fours due to her stump. She blinked again at the taste and rapidly devoured the rest, **"I think there might have been more when we dropped the tray in here,"** The Nergal commented in amusement as the handless half-breed started to crawl around in search of the treats, reminding him of a cat.

_**'This little hellspawn may be a mean and jaded piece of work, but she does have some empathy left in her,'**_ The symbiote noted to itself before its mind went back to its ex-mistress, _**'What are you playing at, Girl? Are you declaring if you can't have him, no one will? Or is this just part of the Bitch's schemes?'**_ It wondered, the green eye narrowing in suspicion. Regardless of what others thought of it, the Nergal-beast had in fact been a part of Minnie and had been birthed from the womb of the Bitch Queen. It knew Minnie inside and out, and had inherited more than a few of Mandy's brains.

Being cold was one thing, but sending Junior to crash from several hundred feet? Either his ex-mistress- and he was starting emphasis the 'ex' more and more!- had gone off the deep end or there was something else going. Which, he didn't know...and couldn't care right now. Maybe it was from fusing with Junior more and more as the days went by or maybe it was some part of him from Minnie that truly cared for Junior. All Gal knew was that he was more concerned with keeping Junior stable than whatever jealous tantrum his ex-mistress was having over the hellcat.

"Gal...," Junior called lowly, the black tears of ash never ceasing to flow from his skull.

**"Take it easy kid. We had a bit of a cras-,"** Gal cautioned slowly, only to be interrupted midsentence.

"It was Minnie, wasn't it," Junior stated, not asked. He just needed someone else to confirm the reality he was facing.

**"...Yeah...Yeah, it was her,"** Gal confirmed solemnly, watching the boy in wonder of what he might do next. The reaper's mind was blank. Blank save for the image of his sister with her bow, glaring at him, and his mother watching right next to her. The Nergal-beast kept trying to place the emotion Junior felt towards the mental image, but...Gal couldn't.

"...Is Mimi okay?" Junior asked. Mimi tapped her foot on the food tray on the floor, getting the Heir of Death's attention. He looked and saw her look at him with a look that wasn't inviting by any imagination...but was not hostile or defensive like before,_ 'Guess that's some good news,'_ Junior though in humor that was hollower then his skull.

**"...Junior,"** Gal said, knowing someone had to talk to the skeleton. Mimi was out by default, Mandy would be a disaster, Grim would probably be useless, Pain was a brown-noser, and Minnie...no, just no. That just left Gal...which was ironic since that would be Junior talking to himself by some logic,** "Look, you know how Minnie can be. She's always been pinning for you, even if she couldn't admit it to herself. She's worked for years trying to get scraps of your attention and suddenly, this hellcat- **_'HISS!'_**\- swoops in and becomes your top priority- and may I remind you said hellcat-**_'HISS'_**\- captured your sister, busted into your home, and attacked you,"** Gal reminded gently. He wasn't making excuses for Minnie...he was making excuses for Junior to latch onto for now.

"...I know...I just never thought she'd do something like that to me," Junior said weakly, his wings curling around himself, "I know everything about her but I don't know what to do...," He said numbly.

"I'll take it from here, Gal," Nergal Senior said, appearing beside Junior to everyone's surprise. Mimi couldn't see or hear the apparition, but her psychic powers still picked up on something odd being there,"Junior, I can promise you that no one thought you were going to die."

"And how can you promise that?" Junior asked, a bit more bite in his question than he intended.

"If Mandy didn't think you could survive that fall, she would have snapped Minnie's bow with her own hands. Plus, you know Minnie. You know no matter how upset-"

"My soul is yours," Junior stated bluntly and piercingly, his tone bleeding with some hybrid of anger and sorrow, stopping Nergal Senior in his tracks, "Those were her exact words to me. I saw the depth of her love and her lust, the memories bombarding me like the rain of an endless storm...," Junior continued, some of Minnie's speaking habits bleeding over in his emotional state.

Nergal Senior smiled sadly, thinking that Junior understood the point he was going to make. Gal, on the other hand, looked far more concerned. For he sensed his master was not even close to being done.

"Then I knew her rage," Junior all but snapped, some kind of growling noise mixing in with his words, "If I can't have you, no one will!...That was what she said to me," He said lowly. His tentacles slithered out as his voice became demonic and his hood lifted itself up, his eyes glowing green and his hands becoming claws, "Well, I guess she really meant thatone,"Junior said wrathfully.

"Junior, don't do anything you'll regret!" Nergal Senior cautioned, knowing he couldn't do anything to physically stop him.

"I already have too many regrets. **What's one more?!"** He asked as he arose, his wings spreading and making him look the part of a Fallen Angel.

**"Wait,"** Gal called, actually bringing some sense of reason to his host,** "Kid...Junior, I'm all for a bit of destruction...but what will it do? You're not going to kill Minnie, we both know that. And even if you did, what then? Uncle Junior will hate you for killing his daughter, Grim will be pissed at you, and Devil only knows what that Bitch would do to you,"** Gal pointed out slowly,** "And you won't feel any better in the end. And this hellcat-'hiss...'- will be right where she started. Either under your mother's care or her father's, if she's not dead."**

"...What am I supposed to do then...?" Junior asked brokenly as Mimi stepped in front of him. With their complimentary color schemes, red and green eyes with white and black clothes, it was like an almost too perfect yin-yang standoff.

The now-Redless girl didn't speak, of course, but she gave him a small glare, an almost sad glare. A glare that was all too easy to read. _'Are you an idiot?'_

Junior gave a trembling sigh, his ash-tears only now starting to stop, "Yeah, I'm an idiot. That doesn't change the fact that everything is going to shit and it always seems to be my fault, even when I do the right thing," He said, more to himself than her.

Mimi starred at him for a moment before her eyes briefly glowed. Not red, but a light blue as she opened her mind to Junior's, _'There is no right thing,'_ She whispered into his mind, almost sympathetically.

"...Mimi? I don't need you to like me or anything, but...can you please just tell me you don't hate me?" Junior asked with a broken smile.

Mimi starred at him for a moment before she opened her mind one more time, showing him the short memory from Limbo of Jeff proclaiming them all best friends forever. It wasn't the answer Junior asked for...it was better, really.

**End Flashback**

Junior had managed to pull himself together after that. And while not much more welcoming or thankful, Mimi had toned down her aggression a lot in the wake of seeing Junior's true mental state. She could allow herself to go easy on the boy, and had continued taken the muffins that, she had to admit mentally, were delicious. She felt a tinge, just a tinge of guilt over the fact that her invasion sent him back into this state after starting to recover from it. Still, his mental and emotional condition itself was not her fault, nor was the lack of help or support he was getting.

The Underworld could be a shitty place to grow up. Mimi realized she was sort of lucky in that regards. She had a family that had truly and unconditionally loved her before her father ruined everything, quite literally. Junior had grown up with an amazingly normal, human personality under the care of Mandy herself and the Grim Reaper. That in itself was a miracle. She had seen the inside of Minnie's mind. The girl was never _'normal'_, even before Halloween. That girl wasn't just in love with her brother, she was damn near obsessed with him. If they lived apart and weren't siblings, Mimi was sure Minnie would have turned into a stalker.

It, privately, had astounded her on many levels that Junior had been sane prior to that. But normal and sanity, by human terms, usually did not last long in the underworld. Junior would have always broke, in a manner of speaking...it just didn't have to be this painful, this heartbreaking for him. Still, there was little she could do and less her untrusting nature would allow her to do.

Gal sighed as he thought the situation over. The simple truth was that Junior needed a break, a damn vacation. However, some higher power decided to take pity on the boy. They had caught wind that Mandy and Grim Senior were leaving for some meeting with "the council of the Underworld." Meaning they'd be gone for a few days at least, possibly even a week or two. That would give Junior time to lick his mental and emotional wounds. The trouble was that Minnie wasn't going, best as they could tell. But if Junior didn't have some big confrontation with her, he should be fine...

Or at least, that's what Gal was hoping for...

**Meanwhile**

A man hummed in his throat, sounding more like a growl with how deep it was. He was troubled, greatly, by his conversation with Skeleton Jack. It confirmed a great many things he had suspected and left him concerned with how to proceed. The actions he took on even the simplest of matters could change everything in the underworld and, indeed, in all realms. Mountains and canyons would form where he treaded, ending and beginning empires with every step…and all because of one Little Boy Death...

**Flashback-Halloween Town**

The town had seen better days, that was for sure. A fourth of it was heavily damaged from all the fighting and they had lost over two dozen citizens- not counting Oogie Boogie and his little henchmen. Still, they were putting their lives back together, repairing the city one day at a time and hoping to be ready for next year's Halloween. You can't keep a good dog down, as the saying goes.

The Zombie Band, dressed in their red-and-black stripped shirts, played their usual melancholic brand of music near the gates of Halloween Town. Jimmy, the tallest, on the accordion, which had a fish or eel skull on one end, making it seem like the whole thing the impression that it was once a living thing…maybe it was. James, the second tallest and still a lot shorter than Jimmy, played a saxophone with the ends looking like they would bite whoever came near it. James was the only one of the three that had any hair and was often thought to be the smallest because of a slight hunch he usually had. Jim was the actual shortest, a bit smaller than James, and also the fattest of the three. He played a bass guitar that had a visible head in its hole, which talked on occasion.

James raised an eyebrow as a figure clothed in a black cloak that obscured his or her figure entered the gates. The band, due to playing around the gate, knew everyone that frequently visited Halloween Town. This one wasn't a regular, that was for sure. James stopped playing to greet the stranger, but paused as the figure walked away, before shrugging and falling back into tune with his bandmates. Maybe it was some henchman of the queen.

Jack Skellington sighed as he looked around the ruins of what had been Oogie Boogie's club house. The whole thing looked like a crater, as the Reaper-Beast had ripped its way out from underneath the hideout, leaving a great hole in the ground, displacing the casino themed dungeon the King of Bugs had always had.

The boogieman had bit off more than he could chew, finally, in the form of Jack's nephew. The town was steadily fixing itself up, but it'd be a few years before Grim Junior could come back here without getting a few glares. This town was on the small side so everyone knew each other. So, everyone had lost someone. Jack was particularly sad about the three pranksters, Lock, Shock, and Barrel. He had always been trying to look after those kids, to turn them away from being Oogie's henchmen. He knew this was what would happen if they followed that bag of bugs.

"I see you're busy, Pumpkin King of Halloween," Someone called, making Jack freeze at the sound of that voice.

"No...it can't be," Jack whispered, stunned as he turned to see a cloaked figure standing up on the ledge of the ruins, staring down at him.

The figure pulled down his hood as Jack stood with a gaping mouth, "But I'd hope you could spare me a few moments to talk," He requested regally, his tone even but clearly upset with something.

"...Of course, Your Excellency," Jack answered, seemingly in awe...

"So, Kare is mixed up in this too. Just as I suspected," He said distastefully as Jack finished explaining what had happen to the town, "And you said that Grim Junior claimed Kare's claw was severed?" He asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, Your Excellency," Jack answered respectfully, and a bit nervously, "By an Angel, one of the Redeemers to be exact," He clarified.

The man nodded slowly at that, "Junior escaped to Limbo as a result of Kare's daughter's assistance. With that, Kare will punish Mimi by sending her to try and steal Horror's Hand as a replacement for his lost claw," He mused, more to himself than the Reaper before him, "Once she fails, Mandy will reach the end of her patience for that lobster of a demon, giving her all the excuse she needs to launch a war against Kare; which is exactly what Kare is betting on," He mused.

"Sire?" Jack asked, confused.

"Kare knows that he is no match for Mandy in a full scale confrontation. But if Mandy makes the first official strike, it will make the other lords and ladies even more wary of Mandy's expanding empire. With that, a variety of creatures in the Underworld will come to Kare's aide, seeking to destroy Mandy. Others will go lapping at Mandy's heels to avoid destruction. The end result will be a complete war for the Underworld, or what's left of it afterwards at least," He explained, shaking his at the actions of the rulers of the underworld.

"But...if he sends his daughter to steal from Queen Mandy, won't HIM have made the first strike?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but unfortunately, he isn't that stupid. Even if he was, it wouldn't matter. Even Mandy is bound by the rules of the Underworld. And though she may not have to obey the ruling of the council, she does have to attend it and give Kare the chance to explain and apologize his action. He'll spin any number of half-truths and lies to paint himself in a better picture, compared to Mandy at least. And Mandy's ruthlessness will play to his advantage," He explained.

"In which case, everyone will have to pick a side as the underworld is torn apart," Jack summarized, getting a solemn nod, "What are you going to do, Your Majesty?"

"Do, Jack? What makes you think I'll do anything? I left the Underworld in Mandy's hand years ago. Quelling the Lords and Ladies of the Underworld is her responsibility," He said evenly, scowling lightly.

Jack stiffened nervously, obviously not wanting to be the object of this man's displeasure, "That may be true, Sire...but that rings the question of just why you came at all," Jack pointed out boldly, getting a narrowed gaze from the man, but he bravely pressed on and elaborated, "Your spies and powers could easily have given you these answers. Infact, I'm sure they did. Yet, you came here and in person. I don't mean disrespect, Your Excellency, but...if you are here, that means you already intend to do something," He theorized.

"And why would I stop here then, O King of Halloween, if I had no need to?" The man asked with an imperial glare that not even Mandy could match.

"...Because Grim Junior was here," Jack answered knowingly.

The man stayed silent for a long time after that, before sighing, "Thank you for your time, Jack. I'll send some aid to help fix up your town," He assured as he headed out, leaving a very concerned Pumpkin King in his wake.

**End Flashback**

That had been several days ago; now the man stood amongst the barren wastelands of the Underworld, eyeing Castle Grimskull distastefully. His predictions had all come true or soon would at this pace of things. Mimi was captured and stripped of her demonic essence, Mandy and Grim were heading off to meet with the council, and HIM was already trying to convince Aku to join him.

However, none of that mattered to him. No, there was something he was far more concerned with than the petty squabble of HIM and Mandy. No, what had his attention was something far more important to him. In the castle, he sensed Grim Junior's soul wailing, more loudly at random times than others. He had been in pain, horrible mental agony from Halloween Night and its aftereffects on him. And like all souls in such a state, he was internally begging someone, anyone to notice and help him but was too ashamed to ask…and the Underworld was not a very safe place for such a soul.

"You summoned me, Master?" A voice called behind him, her eyes glinting in curiosity over what would be requested of her.

"...I need you to deliver a message to the council," The man answered solemnly as he glanced down at the black-hair female kneeling behind him.

"Oh? And what would this message be, Master?" She asked, surprised by the assignment. In response, he tossed her a Japanese-styled scroll. She caught it effortlessly and read it, her expression going from confusion to surprise to outright shock, "Milord...," She whispered, seemingly in awed by the implications of the message.

"I've left this world to Mandy's care for far too long. It's time to remind them of the order of things," He explained, his cold blue eyes glowing hauntingly.

The servant stared at the back of her master for a long while before slowly gaining a wicked smile and bowing her head, "Thy Will Be Done, Master," She said reverently as she rose to leave.

"Oh, and Shogun? Do thank Grim for babysitting my son for all these years," He added with a smirk, "And tell Kare...that his daughter will be in my care for a while."

"You're going to enjoy finally putting them in their place, aren't you, Choshek El Shaddai?" She asked with an eager look on her face, "I must confess, Milord, I thought you would remain detached and uninvolved with your dominions."

He turned, his smirk still on his face, "Guess I just needed a little motivation to get my act together."

And the crimson skies of the underworld grew dark...

End of the Chapter

Yeah, another really dark chapter. I've had this in the works sie the moment I saw "It's a Good day to Die."and the latest pages only fuel this idea for me. Again, this plays on the idea that Minnie's memories and the whole Halloween incident had more effect than in canon. In this case, a negative one. Between his guilt mixed Minnie's coldness and apparent betrayal, his mind, which is remarkedly human-like, is on the brink of fracturing.

This would also explain Gal's sudden turnabout in canon, where he went from trying to take over Junior to actively helping him. In this case, he's very worried about Junior's state of mind. Hence why he stopped Junior here from finally snapping.

And we get a look at someone who is, obviously, VERY high up on the food chain and, equally obviously, is Junior's father. And he's sending his 'Shogun' to deliver a message to all the 'rulers' of the Underworld at the council meeting. Yeah, that'll be an interesting thing to write.

Anyway, onto the QTP! Who is this "Excellency" really? And just WHAT is he? Why wass Jack so shocked to see him? What does he mean about reminding "them"(the council/underworld rulers) of the order of things? Or that he left the underworld in Mandy's hands? "Who is this 'Shogun'? Is Junior's mind going to break? How are the Underworld lords and ladies going to react to this 'message', Mandy and Grim included? Where will this man take Junior and Mimi? How will Minnie react when Junior's father comes knocking? And how will Junior react to his, apparently important, father? Why did this man have a child with Mandy in the first place, and allow Grim to reap Junior for that matter? Better question, why hasn't he ever checked in on Junior before now? Lastly...will Junior be able to heal and be happy where ever his father takes him?


	2. Chapter 2

Prince of Darkness

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

**flopsy rabbit**\- Sorry fo the long wait. SOOO many story ideas...

**Hey**\- Well, here is more.

**BartWLewis**\- Wish granted.

**Guest**\- We'll just have to wait and see, eh?

**Guest**\- Maybe!

**Deathwatch**\- Unfortnately, almost a year.

**coldblue-** Its okay, review what you like and when you can. And yeah, I know the pains of finals. Yes, First chapter was dark and, while this is a bit more jovial, it's the calm before the storm, aand you can see and hear the lightning in this one.

And yes, I'm taking a lot of dark twists with Minnie. I think this might almost be considered Minnie-Bashing in some perspectives. And yes, while there is some justiifications, I'm not to fond of the idea of them retconing her, as we've discussed. I could see Junior, in canon, being weirded out that sh'es upset now rather than him unintentionally get her killed.

Yes, Junior is, mostly, human in mind and that isn't always a good thing. Yeah, I like calling him that. Besides, between everything that is called Nergal(Nergal-Beast, Nergal-tongue, Nergal Senior/Junior, etc) I wanted to give him some other identifier...And he's funny, for some reason, when I write him. As for Mimi, eh, she has calmed down a bit to Junior in recent chapeters, so this might be completely in character.

Plans for Minnie...well, tha'ts a surprise, to be honest. But, yes, she is going to stay in a dark mindset. As for Grim Junior's Father? It's skated around here, and heavily implied and hinted to who it is. But its probably who you think it is. Mimi? You're actually on the nose more or less on why Chosheck is taking her.

1\. To be honest? Yeah, basically.

2\. Kind of, yeah, only the "power corrupting thing" isn't why he left the lords and ladies to their own devices. And yes, Mandy does know him, beyond the obvious.

3\. I was soooo tempted to do this when I read it, but no...seriously, your reviews cataylize a good few of my GT stories or plot ideas!

4\. We'll see! And it'll be fun...if dark...to watch.

5\. I was going to write out that part this chapter, but it got longer than I expected. It'll happen next chapter.

6\. No to the first, yes to the second.

7\. Ohh, yeah, probably- to the Minnie part. And yeah, Chosheck, among others, will take notice of Minnie's personality. And partially, on Junior. He'll be skeptical, of course, and shocked.

8\. This will actually be a very interesting subject later on in the plot. Though, Mandy here might not be as cold as you think, depending on how you look at her.

9\. More or less true.

As always, thanks for all the feedback!

**nightmaster000-** Will do!

**Lord Razer**\- Harem, probably.

**Blood Brandy- **...Why is the Shogun obvious? Seriously, I get how Chosheck is obvious, but I didn't think I hinted at Shogun too heavily.

**TheAllSeeingWolf-195**\- Oh? And who do you think it is, hmmmm? Atill ,yes on everything else.

**Cf96**\- I will never stop!

**detrametal- **Glad you love it. It translate as God of Darkness or Darkness of God, either works.

Regular speak

_Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind_

**Demonic or Animalistic Speak**

_**Demonic or Animalistic Thought**_

Mandy smirked as she exited her personal transport with Grim. It was a customized Volkswagen Beetle. The front was nearly twice as long as it should be with six wheels instead of four. While not as notable, the back was also a bit larger than normal. Its headlights were still normal, seemingly and the front bumper had many upward curved spikes, giving it a fanged appearance. The hubcaps over the tires looked like they were made of bones with a screaming skull in the center. It was black all over with red trimmings, and two parallel pink lines went down the center of it, from front to back. On top of the hood was a large white circle with the number fifty-three on it in similarly colored letters.

Customized or not, it hardly seemed like the personal vehicle of the Bitch Queen of the Underworld, but Mandy wasn't one to be predictable. She patted the hood of the car twice as she closed the driver side door, "Behave, Herb," She warned with a knowing smirk. The car, driverless, revved its engine playfully. Mandy shook her head in amusement at that.

"Ol rus boocket," Grim muttered with an eye-socket-roll, the passenger door slamming into him hard, and making him fall on his ass after. The Volkswagen made several honking noises that sounded mysteriously like laughing before it drove off on its own. "I knew I shouldn't have given ya dat ding as an anniversary gif," Grim said with a glare, dusting off his robe.

"You say that about everything you give me," Mandy retorted evenly, looking up at the sight before them; The House of Night. A large, Greek-style temple made of black alabaster stone, set on a ledge over the River Styx. On the eight forty-foot columns lining the front entrance were carvings of monstrous beings, as if guarding the gates, and on the pediment was a carving of a beautiful and naked woman hovering just above the 'ground' of the image with a cloth dangling behind her back and around her arms. On both sides of her were dozens of men and women, many of them with feathered wings, all looking as though they were marching outwards, "Nyx, one of the first and greatest Rulers of the Underworld," Mandy noted in respect.

"Lota people takin bets on if ya are her reborn or some morta descenden we los track of afta she disappeared," Grim commented with a smirk, knowing that despite not meeting her, Mandy had a slight and somewhat unwanted admiration of the Queen of Night.

"Just like people are still taking bets on who killed her all those eons ago: You're pretty high on that list, actually," Mandy noted with a smirk of her own.

Grim returned her smirk at that, "Surprised?" He asked playfully, leaning down slightly.

"Depends, which do you prefer? Her reborn or her descendant?" She asked curiously with her hand on her hip, an almost playful look in her eye.

"Not sure. On one han, no one would blame me fer gettin bossed aroun by Nyx, but on de oder, I kinda like ya as dis naturally insufferable woman dat we all have ta put up wid," Grim quipped.

"Oh? That your way of saying you didn't kill her?" Mandy asked with a cunning smirk.

"I be admittin ta nodin, Woman," Grim countered with a smirk of his own.

"...And I thought me and Helga had thick sexual tension," A voice called, making them turn to see a fairly iconic football shaped skull, "Should I get you two a private room while we wait on the proceedings to get underway?" Arnold Shortman asked, wearing a black business suit, his hands interlaced behind his back. His dark 'smile' was just a touch too loose to be a smirk, too small to be a grin, and far too smooth to just be a smile…a smilerk or smirkle, perhaps.

"Mr. Shortman," Mandy greeted evenly, "Helga sends her regards, among other things," She added on with a suppressed smirk, handing him a letter.

"Of course she does," Arnold said smoothly, slipping it into his shirt before turning his attention to the skeleton, "Grim, I hope you and your son are coping with so many evil blondes in your lives. I can barely keep up with one, and she's not even my wife yet," Arnold commented with a chuckle.

"Yet bein de term, mon," Grim countered with a chuckle of his own.

"And we'll take that private room," Mandy interrupted with a smirk.

"Try not to take too long or damage too much of the room this time," Arnold requested, waving his hand to the entrance, two servants opening it.

"You can send me the bill," Mandy answered, Grim chuckling as he followed after her.

As they entered the large, dark-wood double doors, they were met by three women, beautiful in form and clad in black togas. Their skin was whiter than pale, their hair was silvery ash, and their eyes were bottomless black pits. "Lady Mandy, Lord Grim," The lead woman greeted them with a bow, a cold and even look on their faces.

"Mithranda," Mandy greeted, her expression matching them, "We'll be needing a private room, some refreshments, and someone to alert us when the hearing will begin ten twenty minutes in advance," She all but ordered.

"As you desire," Mithranda answered simply as she turned to lead them in, the servants leaving to get the requested items.

"Leuciads, de illegitimate descendans of Hades," Grim noted with a chuckle, "Not too many of dose lef," He commented as they passed by a circular room with a deathly white tree growing in the center of it. There were four paths, counting the one they came from. Mithranda made a left, for the private areas and they followed.

"Most of the staff here is comprised of Styxaids now," Mandy added in.

"I still remember when ya firs met Styx herself," Grim said, a bit teasingly, Mandy's eyes glazing over for a moment before shaking it off.

"Never have I wanted to fuck a woman so badly in my life," Mandy murmured

"Careful around dat one, Mandy. She can hol ya ta jus abou anyding ya say if ya make a vow or promise," Grim warned cautiously.

"That's what gags are for," Mandy said evenly.

**Meanwhile**

Mimi whined to herself as she danced on her tippy toes in Junior's bathroom, biting her lip. If one would wonder why, they would only have to look at the toilet to see that it was clogged and the bowl was close to overflowing. If Mimi didn't have to go bad, REALLY bad, she might have wondered why a Reaper would have need of a toilet. If she could talk, she would probably even make a joke about him crapping out souls, which could be true. As it was, she was doing her best not to make a mess on the floor.

Unfortunately or fortunately, a few of her human habits from her life in Megaville had resurfaced: One of which was not wanting to poop on the floor. Pee, maybe, but not poop. Why? She had no idea and didn't have the energy to think on it. All she kept repeating in her head was that Junior would be back soon with a plunger: He had been gone since she awoke to run to the bathroom, so he couldn't be too far from getting back here, right? Right?!

Eventually, her mental willpower broke, forcing her to run out of the room to try and find a public bathroom: The castle had to have at least one on each floor!

Meanwhile, just as she rounded a corner, a certain Demon-Reaper walked around a corner from the opposite direction of his 'pet', carrying two extra rolls of toilet paper and a plunger,** "Seriously? That Billy kid used his scythe as a plunger?" **Gal asked skeptically.

"You're in my head, you should know," Junior retorted with a small chuckle.

**"...Kid, without a photograph for one of us to see, I'm not sure I can buy that," **Gal said with a sweat-drop.

_"Well, it was Billy," _Nergal Senior pointed out, walking beside the two-_one? Two halves? One and a half?_\- towards Junior's room.

**"True," **Gal relented as they entered the room,** "Geeze, Hellcat is a heavy sleeper today. We poked her for a good ten minutes earlier!" **He commented, all of them assuming Mimi was still under the bed.

"Then she started nibbling on you," Junior pointed out, putting the rolls on the sink while he got to work with the plunger.

**"...That actually felt kind of good," **Gal said with a perverted grin in his face.

"...I'm going to pretend I didn't see what you just imagined," Junior said with wide eyes and blush on his skull.

_"Agreed," _Nergal said, rubbing his eyes, wishing he wasn't a mental projection right now, _"Still, it must have been the first night she relaxed in a while, so no wonder she slept so well,"_ He pointed out, changing the subject.

**"I know how to make her relax...," **Gal said with a distant look in his eye.

"What the fook, Gal? I thought you hated her?!" Junior asked in surprise.

**"I know, I did! I blame you, it's these damn preteen, demon-reaper hormones! Mix that with your crush on her and it is royally fucking with my mind!" **Gal whined loudly before his eye went wide, **"Oh my devil...I'm turning into your father. I'm turning into a whiny, masochistic whimp that can't help but keep coming back to a skank that keeps putting her fangs back into me...Gehenna save me!"** Gal bemoaned with anime tears.

"You...That...She...I don't even _know_ where to begin with that!" Junior yelled, glaring at his weirdly emotional Nergal-beast, "Are you on your period or something?"

**"WHAT?!" **Gal yelled in outrage, Nergal Senior snickering in the background.

"Well, you WERE a part of Minnie...," Junior pointed out, trailing off awkwardly and a bit sadder at the end.

**"...Yeah, well, my gender has since changed, thank you very much,"** Gal said with a humph, hoping that would change the subject.

"...Wait, does that mean I was technically a girl or...he-she when I first got you?" Junior asked curiously.

**"Dude, do we REALLY need to talk about this?"** Gal asked with a blank stare.

"I figure in a few months or years, it'll make for a good joke or two," Junior said with a small grin.

**"...Kid, no offense, but there are moments I just want to cut myself loose and go die of embarrassment after crawling under something,"** Gal commented dryly.

_"Like under the bed?" _Nergal Senior suggested.

"With your Hellcat?" Junior added in with a grin.

**"SCREW YOU BOTH, YOU RIGHT FUCKTARDS!"** Gal roared at them both, causing them both to laugh, "Shouldn't YOU be the one wanting to curl up there with her?!" Gal accused at Junior, who grinned impishly.

"I am you, Gal," He pointed out smugly.

**"...Oh you cheeky dickwaffle,"** Gal said flatly before turning to Nergal Senior, **"If I die, can I put this down as Cruel and Unusual punishment when old Grimmy comes a swinging for me?"** He asked in mock sadness.

_"Sorry, no. Trust me, I've asked on similar things," _Nergal Senior answered apologetically, patting Gal on top of the tentacle he was using an a figurative head.

"Well, the toilet is finally cleared," Junior said with a grin.

**"Kid, I don't know how you did what you did to that toilet, and I pray I am never able to comprehend it," **Gal said with a shiver. He had been half asleep still when Junior was on the toilet and did..._**sO**_**mE**_tH__**i**_Ngthat Gal didn't want to understand.

"Why? All I did was-" Junior started, only for the alarm to blare.

The symbiote, Reaper, and mental projection all looked up in shock for a solid minute before looking to each other,** "You **don't _think...?"_ They all asked in sync, slowly turning to look towards Junior's room, towards the bed.

In a split second, Junior was half-way to the bed and Gal's tentacle was already under it**, "Hellcat's gone!" **Gal confirmed, yelling into Junior's face.

"You don't think she tried to go after Horror's Hand again, do you?" Junior asked in worry.

_"Either that or we're under attack!" _Nergal Senior reasoned, _"Regardless of which, you need to find Mimi before she gets into trouble you can't get her out of!" _He pointed out, Junior already running out the door.

**Meanwhile**

Minnie glared heatedly as she marched through the halls, the alarms blaring in her ear as she continued the search for whomever or whatever had triggered the alarm. While she should, logically, go to her room or her brothers and remain there until the threat was eliminated, she had no intention of doing such. Partially because she did want to vent, partially because she didn't want to be in the same room as her brother right now, especially not with his wanton pet.

Just the thought of that handless girl made Minnie's sole eye flash red in a mix of angry jealousy and hateful vengeance. Whatever seduction was over her brother had clearly left his rationality in a subdued state. Trying to save her was one thing, but he challenged their own mother, Mandy herself, to keep her out of harm's way. Minnie could never remember a time Junior would ever even attempt such a near-suicidal thing. If Mandy wasn't their mother, he would have been dead...or more so, anyway.

Shaking her head of such thoughts, for now, she continued her search for any possible targets. It troubled her though. Who could gotten by the extra security measure her mother had implemented after Mimi's break in? She hadn't heard a single salvo or explosion before or after the alarm sounded, so that meant they got by the outter defenses undetected. Her mother would be most displeased with that, her hard work and money not paying off as well as she hoped it would.

Thinking of her mother and brother reminded her of that recent day when she shot Junior's line, sending him and his 'pet' falling down off the mountain, Junior saving himself with wings via her former powers. A few weeks ago, she couldn't imagine trying to harm her brother in any way. She also couldn't have imagined dying, being turned into a ragdoll, her brother protecting the daughter of their family enemy from their mother, or...her mother being proud of her, for some reason, for endangering Junior's wellbeing.

The undead princess froze as she caught sight of the last person she wanted to see. Mimi, walking around with a very exhausted and slightly pained look on her face, waltzed through the cross section of the hallways, not even noticing Minnie as she trekked back to Junior's room slowly...

**Meanwhile**

"Why is it that even when I time this so we'll be five minutes early, we always end up getting dressed at the last minute?" Mandy asked curiously as they walked through the halls to the council room.

"YOU get dressed atta las minute. Me cloak an trousas come back on in unda ten secons," Grim corrected with a smirk, "And I be guessin dat ya subconsious is stuck on its _'Fook De Rules'_ settin while we're fookin each oder," He explained with a shrug.

"Right...still amazed that sex with you isn't an automatic abortion," Mandy noted, being currently pregnant with Dan Phantom's children.

Grim shrugged again, "Ta be honest, I was surprised by dat as well de first time I fooked a pregnant woman," Grim explained, Mandy looking over her shoulder with a questioning look, "Elara, one of Zeus's baby-mammas," He answered simply.

"...Was she good?" Mandy asked curiously.

"Eh, on one han, it was sloppy secons, on de oder, it was a god's sloppy secons," Grim answered vaguely.

"So...?" Mandy prompted.

"Abou like dat time ya slated yer lus fer yer own genda an told me I could do _**whateva**_ I wanted wid her," Grim explained.

"Hey, you're my husband, I told you I don't mind you joining in," Mandy pointed out with a shrug.

"Maybe I would if ya humped more women instead of whateva bastard of de year ya stumble across," Grim said with a blank glare.

Mandy stroked her chin in thought for a moment, "Would hermaphrodites work?" Mandy suggested as they stood outside the double doors to the meeting room.

"...As long as deir's more she den he," Grim answered slowly, shaking his head fondly at his wife's very wide tastes for sex, "An we're goin to be late if we keep talkin ou here," He pointed out.

The Bitch Queen rolled her eyes at that, "Well, I didn't think you wanted to air out your sex life to the entire Underworld, Bonehead," Mandy retorted as she opened the door.

"Presenting Queen Mandy of Grimskull and the Grim Reaper of Death!" A nymph by the door announced as they entered the room, heading for their seat as the lightly packed room quieted a bit.

The room was large and circular, the buff-beige walls passing on a muted light from the eternally lit torches on the black pillars, bathing the whole room in good lighting. In the center was a circular shaped depression in the middle of the room, with a diameter of twenty feet. Along the edge of the circle was three curved conference tables, each nearly twenty feet in length with five chairs at each tables.

The table to the right was for the rulers or proxies of the five major realms in Underworlds. Mandy usually sat at the middle of it, but for this meeting, it had been stipulated that she and HIM should sit on the far ends. Mandy couldn't really blame them, given their history and the nature of this gathering. So the seating order went HIM on the far right, Aku next to him in his Ikra form, Walker took the middle seat to act as peacekeeper on the off chance something happened, Hunson Abadeer took a seat next to Mandy. Hunson was, strangely, a nice guy…kind of, at least. He wasn't allied with or against anyone, but he tried to socialize with most of the Lords. Kare was just one of the more common hosts as Mandy and Walker weren't much for socializing.

The left table was for odds and ends mainly. Usually it went to parties that the meeting pertained to, such as minor lords in territory disputes between major lords, but as this meeting was about settling a possible war between two lords before it started, it was used by three of the main guards of these meetings. One was a man with green skin, pointed ears, green hair, pure white eyes, and a very feral look in his eyes. The other was a solemn man with brown hair and green eyes, wearing a white outfit with a red symbol on his chest shaped like a C. The third was a teenage boy with black hair and blue eyes, laying on two chairs like a make-shift bed, clutching a katana to his chest. Like the first guard, he too had pointy ears, but he also had a lithe black tail with a hairy end.

The table opposite of the door was for the five Judges of the Underworld, impartial beings that were nigh impossible to get favors from: The first was an old, diminutive, male human-like being that was floating in his chair with a pair of small insect wings on his back. He was clad in a dull-grey business outfit and a pointed hat with a grey star on it. This was Head Pixie of Pixie world, sitting closest to the table with the guards. A stickler for protocol, but also an acknowledger of loopholes.

The judge next to him was wearing an all-black outfit consisting of shirts, pants, a top hat, leather gloves and boats and a cloak. The only items not black was the dark brown belt to hold his six knives to his person, and the Guy Fawkes mask covering his face. He sat there, leaning back with his boots on the table and his fingers forming a pyramid on his lap, daring anyone to cause a scene. He was simply known as V, with a long list of nicknames. An brilliant anarchist and his ideas were, as they said, bulletproof.

On the side nearest the Big Five's table, and sitting just a few feet from HIM as a result, was a man that was similar to V in many ways. Only instead of black, his gloves, pants, top hat, and boots were all a non-descript shade of brown. And instead of a cloak, he had on a brown rain coat, and lacked any visible blades. Over his face was a white mash with black blotches that continued changing nonstop, much like a Rorschach test. Rather unsurprisingly, his name was Rorschach. Even in the face of Armageddon and death, his resolve would not sway on anything.

Next to him was a rather devilish man. Literally, he was a large and muscled humanoid male with red-skin, two large horn stumps, black side burns and a goatee, a rock gauntlet for a right arm, a red tail, and a large white-brown overcoat. This was Hellboy, a former Paranormal Investigator on earth. A very plain and stubborn man that had been tempted by hundreds of dark entities with no success on their part.

The middle chair was empty, for the moment, giving Mandy time to survey the room. The room was packed with at least two hundred people; various lords, leaders, loners, proxies, and all kinds of others that had come to witness the outcome of this meeting. She spied a werewolf and a vampire somewhere in that crowd, and she could just smell a succubus. She knew that some of those demons were for the Arch Lords of Hell, and Heaven had to have at least one spy down here. After all, war was brewing, everyone could see that, and the outcome of this one trial might decide if war will break out or not.

As she waited, she could help appreciate the irony of her sitting here. Although none would call her on it, she was technically Grim's proxy as their realm was always recorded as belonging to the Ruler of Death. All that meant, ultimately, was that if Grim wanted the seat, she would be legally obliged to give it to him. Though, if Grim ever found a reason to do that, she'd probably be too curious about what he knew that she didn't to be upset at him.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at HIM, sitting there as smug as ever. He probably already had a plan to paint himself in a more favorable light. If it didn't get any sympathies from the Judges, it would at least set the playing field for a confrontation between her and HIM. After all, she had made a fair many enemies in her expansion of Grim's original kingdom. If they didn't oppose her, many still feared the idea of her ruling the Underworld.

HIM was cruel, but he was something they were used to. Being a ruler in the underworld was a busy job for most demons and they excerised a certain level of hands-off ruling. So if you stayed under his radar, the most they'd have to deal with is any chaos he'd spread ruling them and, to be frank, they were used to that kind of thing. Mandy, on the other hand, was a more rigid and controlling Queen at times. As much as everyone respected the Great Nyx, none of the minor lords wanted another like her. They already had His Excellency to deal with, after all.

Mandy hummed at that, pondering if she should forgo a war altogether by calling in a favor to _him_ of all people, before shaking her head of the idea. She'd rather take revenge herself than go to her official superior for aide, like a child crying to the teacher over a mean bully. After all, if he was ready to take the reins of the Underworld, he wouldn't have given her the job when the Big Five took their place in the Underworld over eleven years ago. No, she'd take care of this herself, as she always had.

Her head snapped to the door, along with everyone else's, as it swung open. The sleeping guard, meanwhile, sprung up out of his chair in an attempt to look awake, "Presenting his Honor, the High Judge of the Underworld!" The nymph announced, everyone making way for the judge and the woman serving as his secretary and aide. She was blue eyed with blonde hair that was held back in a ponytail. Even Mandy had suspected this woman was a bimbo at first, despite this woman's bust being a cup size smaller than Mandy's own. She was wearing a female business outfit that hugged all her curves, and black high heels that accented her every step. A stack of paper cradled in one arm and her posture the very definition of professional.

In contrast, the High Judge was the complete opposite of her. The position of High Judge was dictated by His Excellency and this man had always been the choice, even when other judges were replaced. He yawned uncaringly as he strolled past demons and monsters alike without care or worry, his clawed hand scratching his cheek. Unlike his fellow Judges, he looked almost completely human. His boots echoed almost as much as his aide's heels as he walked to his seat, his purple cloak billowing behind him, his black jeans and shirt over his tan skin. He spun the chair around to sit on it backwards and rested his head on the backrest, adjusting the purple top hat that adored his pitch black hair, "So, Angie? What's on today's agenda?" He asked unceremoniously, his red eyes peering through his eye lids as he appeared to begin shifting to full awake mode, seemingly oblivious to the tense silence in the room.

The woman was Angelica Pickles, aide to Judge Nega-Timmy Turner, or Nega for short. Why Angelica was in the Underworld, even Grim didn't know, so it was likely due to someone that outranked him: and besides Mandy, there were only two others that did, and Yahweh stayed out of the Underworld. Nega, on the other hand? Well, why he was the High Judge was no secret. If you knew the significance of his name, it wasn't hard to figure out.

"It's a matter pertaining to Kare, Lord of the Land of Tainted Souls and Queen Mandy of the Grim Family, Your Honor." Angelica explained courtly as she placed a paper in front of him, and handed one to each of the other Judges.

He ignored that for the moment and raised his head to look between the two in question, "What, she divorcing Grimmy? Or is this just about alimony?" He asked curiously. Mandy resisted the urge to face-palm and just scrunched her eyes as the room was filled with suppressed snorts and snickers...some not so suppressed.

"Is dis really de time fer jokes?" Grim asked in light annoyance.

Nega rose an eyebrow at that, "If we all didn't already know who Grim Reaper Junior's father was, raise your hand if you would be placing bets on the man in red over there," He ordered, raising his hand, as did the rest of the Judges. "All of you and be truthful or I'll hold all of you in contempt," Nega threatened, most of the room raising their hands, even the rest of the Big Five, including HIM himself, "I think that proves my point," Nega said with a small, smug smirk as Grim steamed.

Angelica, for her part, rolled her eyes as the edge of her lips twitched lightly from their thin line, "No on both parts, Sir. This relates to the incident of All Hallow's Eve," She explained as she gestured to the paper, to which he glanced down and read, seemingly instantly.

"Ahh, right, the Reaper-Beast thing," Nega mused before giving the Grim Monarchs a very frosty smile, "Grim, Mandy? I went to Halloween Town a few years ago and I would love to hear the details about how your kids ended up all the way from Town Hall to that clubhouse," He stated pointedly, his two vampiric teeth seemingly enlarging with that smile.

"In good time, Your Honor, but unfortunately, this isn't good time," Mandy stated simply. HIM just looking amused by the proceedings for now. Walker, on the other hand, looked a bit annoyed with the High Judge, but held his spectral tongue.

"She's got a point, Fangs," Hellboy butted in, "This isn't exactly Family Court if you get my meaning."

"True, but coincidentally, the subject in either circumstance differs little in substance," V's rich voice cut in as he read through the page a second time, "But given HIM's parenting techniques, that's expected."

"A match made in Hell," Rorschach grunted.

"Now you're all just slandering me," Mandy interrupted with a smirk behind her interlocked hands, "I'd never touch HIM with a forty foot pole if it wasn't to kill him," Mandy added in.

"Now, at least," Nega muttered with a grin and chuckle. "Well, I think we've broken the ice enough," He added in as he lifted his head off the chair and something in his grin looked a bit predatory, "Kare the Tempter," He announced in a low but echoing voice as the red-skinned demon suddenly went rigid in his seat, "You have been accused of Royal Kidnapping and a combo-attempt of assault and thievery, all against the lovely family of our dear Regent here," Nega listed off before shrugging his shoulders and holding up his hands, "Anything to say for yourself?"

"Not Guilty, Your Neganess," HIM answered with a smirk as he stood from his chair, his answer getting raised eyebrows from Head Pixie and Hellboy, while Rorschach and V seemed to tilt their heads lightly.

"Oh? Do explain," Nega prompted with a smirk.

"Both of those actions weren't committed by me, but my daughter, Mimi," He supplied, getting a surprised look from Aku and a glare from Mandy and Grim.

"You're trying to sell to us that that kid of yours went and pissed off the Bitch Queen for the fun of it?" Hellboy asked, beyond skeptical.

"Both accounts DO list that Kare's daughter was heavily involved," Head Pixie drawled, "In the account of MiniMandy, the kidnapped victim, she states that Mimi, not HIM, was her original kidnapper," He pointed out.

"And she was the one to assault and break into Grimskull," Nega admitted with a sigh that sounded both tired and amused, "Okay HIM, you've got your case, now make us buy it," He ordered.

"Thank you, Your Honor," HIM said with a nod of apparent respect as he took the stage.

_'And/An the/de show begins,'_ Mandy and Grim thought at the same time.

"I will admit to my daughter kidnapping the soul of MiniMandy, however I do not see that as a crime against anyone in that circumstance," HIM assured.

"Oh? And how was I supposed to take you stealing my daughter's soul?" Mandy asked evenly.

"Given what was going on and where she was going? It was a mercy for us all," HIM supplied with a smirk, "As most of us are aware, Grim Reaper Junior turned into a creature we've come to call the Reaper-Beast, something that could grow and devour us all in its berserk state. What most are less aware of was that Mandy's daughter was being taken to Heaven by a Redeemer," HIM supplied, getting silence at that.

"I think my brain stopped working at Mandy's name being in the same sentence as going to Heaven," Hellboy commented in surprise.

"It is in MiniMandy's account, though she didn't specify a Redeemer," Head Pixie noted, "But I fail to see any paperwork of MiniMandy herself being reaped," He pointed out.

"Reread opening paragraph." Rorschach pointed out, "Reaped by Grim Junior, not Grim Senior."

"Ahh, I see. Carry on," Head Pixie excused.

"Still, that is peculiar," V pointed out, rubbing the chin of his mask, "I think His Excellency shall be most cross with Heaven for forcibly stealing a soul from his son." He mused, Grim balling his fist at that.

"Ohh, trust me, he is," Nega assured, Mandy narrowing her eyes at that, "But we'll save dealing with our neighbors upstairs for another time. For now, all the reports given by Mandy and her family indicates the same thing: An angel taking MiniMandy away," He mused, nodding to HIM who had stood there in patient amusement.

"While I and Mandy certainly don't get along, despite the many amusing jokes about our supposed compatibility, I saw what Heaven was doing as a ploy against all Realms under the Divine Imperial Shadow," HIM explained, getting a grin from Nega who had obviously figured out how HIM was going to spin this tale, "A Reaper's abilities, mixed with the hunger and nature of a Nergal-Demon, and add in the natural raw energy? Why, even the boy's TRUE father might have had trouble putting something like that down, if it was given proper time to grow," He pointed out, Grim glaring fire at the trickster.

"Point, HIM?" Rorschach asked sternly.

"Simple. With Grim Junior's mentally and emotionally incapacitated at the time, MiniMandy was the only one who could possibly stop the creature without actually fighting it. It was obvious to me, that Heaven wanted to allow this abomination to run wild and do as much damage to the Underworld as possible, in an effort to weaken us as a whole," HIM elaborated.

"And you just happened to be watching us on Halloween?" Mandy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There's a betting pool over when your boy will awaken his darker powers," HIM explained away casually, "We're not counting this incident, by the way."

"What day did you bet on?" Mandy asked curiously.

"April Fools," HIM answered.

"Halloween," Aku added in.

"His birthday," Hunson answered.

"Christmas," Walker supplied.

"I voted on Leap Day," Nega answered, getting weird looks from everyone, "What? I got quadruple the winnings if I'm right," He supplied with a shrug.

"I voted December twentieth," Angelica added in evenly, "But I think we're getting a bit off track."

"Yes, yes, so we are," V admitted, "Thank you, Ms. Pickles. Without you, I fear we'd never get anything done," He apologized and praised.

"It's a living," Angelica quipped with a smirk that was directed Nega.

"Okay, we get it, wild soul-eating Devourer of Afterlives is bad for business." Nega commented offhandedly, "So...you kidnapped, or freed, MiniMandy's soul to...?" Nega asked, waving his hand for HIM to continue.

"As I said, Mimi did that herself. She just saw the events with me, heard my musing over the issue, and went off to grab the princess's soul on her own. She also cut off the Redeemer's hand in the process," He explained smoothly

Mandy smirked to herself at that. While Nega wasn't on her side, he certainly was trying to trip HIM up over this story he was telling. The red eyed man might seem like nothing special, but he was actually as dangerous as any of the Big Five. The fact that he was outside Grim's jurisdiction had little to do with that though that was related to why he was the High Judge. One wrong move or word and you fell into a trap. And falling into a trap set by the High Judge of the Underworld could be very...damning, to say the least.

"Angie, remind me to give Mimi a medal for stealing back a soul right from the Pearly Gate, and literally disarming a Redeemer," Nega requested.

"As you say, Sir," Angelica answered dutifully as she wrote something down.

"I find that hard to believe," Head Pixie stated simply, "Not the Redeemer part, her doing this of her own volition. Given her mental background, I'd think she'd want to see that happen, you and the rest of the Underworld digesting in a cosmic stomach."

"And not to mention, you beat a lot of the disobedience out of her," Rorschach reminded, rather darkly.

"And it's rather convenient that she's a mute and currently locked up at Mandy's place for trying to steal horror's hand," Hellboy pointed out.

"And you just so happen to be in need of a replacement, by the looks of it," V added in, gesturing to the missing claw.

"If you would be so kind, Your Honors, I'd rather explain things in order," HIM requested.

"Then why would she go out of her way to directly deliver that soul to you?" Nega asked pointedly.

"Ms. Pickles, if you please?" HIM requested, waving to her.

Angelica reached into her pile and pulled out five copies of a document with a picture of a large, smiling spider, "Jeff the Spider?" V asked curiously.

"Adopted/Self-appointed Son of Billy?" Head Pixie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"(Mother?/Father?) of five-hundred giant spider eggs?" Rorschach questioned.

"Nanny to Mimi?" Hellboy read off.

"Ex-fiancé to Velma Green the Spider Queen?!" Nega stated in surprise, "That ungrateful, lucky, arthropodic, son of a buffoon!" He exclaimed, wiping his hand over his face.

"Fangs!" Hellboy called.

"What!?" Nega yelled back in annoyance.

"She's standing right over there," Hellboy informed, bumping his thumb to Nega's right, the crowd making way so the High Judge could see the blushing Spider Queen

"Ohhh..." Nega said awkwardly, pausing for a long moment, "Hi Velma!" He waved, getting a nervous one in return.

"Judge," Angelica said snippily.

"Right, right. HIM, most of us know what you're getting at, but for the record...?" He asked in a prompting voice, waving his hand in a circle.

HIM nodded in understanding, "Jeff is one of the only survivors of Megaville. I kept him as a nanny for my daughter and she has remained especially attached to him, to the point where threatening him is more motivation than threating Mimi herself," HIM supplied, "I'd have to wager that her desire to save Jeff in the event the Reaper-Beast came to our own realm outweighed any bitterness she feels towards myself," He elaborated.

There was brief silence until Mandy started clapping, "Well done. A completely believable crock of bull that any of us is otherwise incapable of disproving," She stated evenly.

"You're the one that decided to leave my daughter back at your castle, Mandy," HIM pointed out, a bit smugly, "If you were so concerned about me spinning a tale, you should have brought her along."

"He makes an excellent argument, Mandy," V butted in, "In fact, I find it peculiar that you left all of the children out of this debacle here."

"However, it's not her turn yet," Nega interrupted, sharing a look with V before they both nodded in agreement, "HIM, that is your statement as to why you were in possession of MiniMandy's soul. We have confirmed that Grim Junior was in your realm via Clockwork," Nega said, wrinkling his nose at the name of the Time Lord.

"I assure you all, I didn't attack the boy." HIM retorted quickly.

"Yes, we can see that in your report: You taunted him, deflected swings from a scythe and even offered him help in awakening his powers, but never did you yourself attempt any harm to his soul," Nega mused, looking conflicted on something, "However, is everything you stated in there the truth?" He asked tonelessly, all humor gone from his voice as he and the other four Judges leaned in intently.

HIM blinked, not sure what could have been amiss. In fact, that was the section where there was no real deviation from the truth, "Yes, Your Honor, to my memory. Why?" He asked curiously, almost a bit worried as the Judges all shared a silent look before looking at Mandy and Grim, who narrowed her eyes in confusion at their stare.

_'Something is wrong,'_ Mandy thought in concern.

_'Dey are worried abou somedin,' _Grim thought solemnly.

_'And it has to do with something in HIM's report,'_ Mandy continued darkly.

_'An de lobster looks too surprised to be fakin it,'_ Grim realized in worry.

_'...Junior an/and Minnie didn't tell us everyding/everything.' _They both concluded at the same time, _'Fook!/Fuck.'_

**End of Chapter**

Well, took me nearly a year, but I got it updated. Actually kind of glad though- came up with a lot of stuff for this that I would have screwed up if I had wrote the second chapter early. Any way, you've now all been introduced to my version of the Council, since we've yet to see them in canon. If this turns out anything like the real thing, I'll be amazed and possibly flattered- I better get a shout out if that happens!

And yes, I put Nega-Timmy, Hellboy, Rorachach, V, and Head Pixie on the council. And, somehow, I made it all funny and work atthe same time. I have been wanting to put Nega on the Under-Council for ages. I LOVE writing this guy for some reason. If I get into Writing Fairly Odd Parents fics, it would be mainly to write Nega. He deserved more than one episode!

And for shits and giggles, I made Angelica Pickles into Nega's secretary and aide...and the one that tries to keep him from getting too off track.

HIM now has to explain his side of things to the Judges and, if they feel the need, they'd have Mandy tell her side of it. If this thing runs its course, the Judges would scrutinize every detail of the case until they're convinced. In the Underworld court, the Judges are who you have to prove yourself too and who are scrutinizing your testimony. Its almost like Guilty until proven Innocent, if you have enough evidence in the first place. Hey, like I said, Underworld.

And yes, Grim and Mandy flirt a lot when no one(or nearly no one) is looking. Mandy's a perverse creature and I doubt she'd be against Grim joining in on her unfaithful nights. Hell, she might even care if he returned the favor and got a succubus for a night...Or she might get jealous and try to prove herself better than a sex demon- Win-win for Grim.

And yes, Mandy does have a pimped out and demonic version of Herbie as a ride. I literally couldn't resist give it to her. And yes, there are a LOT of bets going on in the afterlife...many of them about the Grim Clan.

If any of you can figure out who the three gaurds are, you get a digi-cookie. XP Nah, but seriouslly, take a swing at it. Two of them are anime characters, I will admit to that.

And back at Grimskull, Junior SOMEHOW clogged a toilet...try not to think of that, and is having a three way convseration between himself, his mental porjection of Nergal Senior, and his nergal symbiote...I think that equals to Me, Myself, and I.

Why does Gal have a crush on Mimi all of a sudden? I have no idea, but I blame Junior. After all, Gal is Junior, technically. And for some reason, I LOVE to have that little nergal teased and embarassed by Junior and the others.

And Mimi ran off to the bathroom and is probable about to meet the business end of Minnie's glare, silver tongue, and possible rapier. Minnie is a bit conflicted about what happened, but still not letting up on her jealous anger in any way. She might even be a bit delusional at this point.

QTP: Who set off the alarm? When will the Shogun and Chosheck crash thier respective parties? Why does Nega seem displeased with Mandy and Grim regarding what happened in Halloween Town? What are the Judges concerned about that Junior and Minnie didn't tell Grim and Mandy? Will the Judges buy HIM's story and could it actually be true, regarding Heaven's scheming against the Underworld during that incident? Why do they, both HIM and the Judges, seem to only gloss over the parts pretaining to Junior but go into detail regarding Minnie? What is Minnie planning to do? Why didn't Mandy bring any of the kids to the trial?

And what the fuck did Junior do to that poor toilet?!


End file.
